Growing demand in the Australian housing market has resulted in a chronic shortage of trades to complete new projects with partially built houses are sitting idle for up to three months at a time. CSR has developed the Velocity system to produce entire wall and floors engineered off-site and then delivered and installed at the building site to reduce construction times and the reliance on multiple tradespeople.

CSR has partnered with Mirvac at its Brighton Lakes development in western Sydney to trial the Velocity system. Mirvac’s Masterplanned Communities National Operations Manager David Haller is overseeing the trial of the CSR Velocity system and first tested its effectiveness by building two identical homes opposite each other: one using traditional methods, and the other prefab walls.

“The conventional build was a two-storey duplex and was completed in 24 weeks under ‘best case’ conditions, with all trades available when required and minimal inclement weather delays,” he says. “By comparison, the CSR Velocity home was completed in 14 weeks. The results were truly amazing.”

The two homes were identical, but one was ready to move into 10 weeks sooner. The system has also cut construction costs and time translating to savings on interest and the reduction of supervisor costs by around 50 per cent. The implementation of the system resulted in Mirvac awarded the number 3 ranking in BRW’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2015.